Toy Review Archives

[The Reverend]

I honestly don't know the story on that Kup - I found it in a secondhand store with Gnaw and Pretender Bumblebee, I think. At the time I thought it was a reissue, but I was under the impression that only Targetmaster Kup had been reissued, and it's definitely not a TM (no mount hole). So I have no idea if it's been Reprolabeled or if it's a reissue or what, I can't find any stamping on it.

[The Reverend]

Its possible I'm not remembering correctly, but it seems to me that at one point in the 80s I was at a store with my mom and I had to choose between Gnaw and Silverbolt, which were about the same price. (I got Silverbolt.)

Looking at the Tech Spec and the catalogs of the time I don't really know where they planned on going with Gnaw, though. He and Wreck-Gar are sort of the "loosely-allied" boys of each faction. Seems to me Gnaw was on a lot of store shelves at the time, too - he didn't sell well. I never knew anyone that had one, though I did wonder if anyone got two or three of them just for movie accuracy. I got one of the Quint Judge figures that came out recently just to go with him, though. I just like the part in his Tech Spec about his "powerful tail fin" - he doesn't have one!

[Clay]

His teeth are nasty. Have you considered getting him some Crest White Strips?

[Cliffjumper]

IIRC they basically had to make the Sharkticon toy into Gnaw the Decepticon both to make it more appealing to the little 'uns (a bit like the way Hasbro have to pretend Activision Movie toys like Swindle, Payload and Dropkick are individual Decepticons) and because they didn't want to confuse anyone by having extra factions involved. The other thing is the tech specs for the TF:TM toys were spoiler-proofed - hence Gavlatron being the Decepticon City Commander or Rodimus being the Autobot Protector, and neither mentioning their origins.

[The Reverend]

His teeth are nasty. Have you considered getting him some Crest White Strips?

I don't think that'll help his overbite

[ElectricGecko]

Man, what an abomination. I can't believe the lack of paint on this guy. Your last paragraph is sheer brilliance. I never thought of the parallels, but now .. it all makes sense.

[Cliffjumper]

So... ROTF in its' combined form is wholly satisfactory and unslapdash... but its' individual components are wholly unsatisfactory and slapdash. So what you're saving is all the components suck but they combine to make something better? Because I'd say ROTF is probably the other way around - lots of good bits, lacks coherence. I'm very interested in hearing an explanation for this beyond it fitting the flow of the paragraph.

[Clay]

squints

Fair enough, let me edit that bit.

[Quadpredacus]

ok. so i claimed the two figures i want to do a review on. now how do i WRITE the review? im new here too, and i can't seem to figure out how to actually writ and post the review

[Transformer Kamen]

Check here for the general review format. Otherwise, just open a new thread in the Review Writing forum and either write the review there or copy/paste from a wordprocessor.

[Knightdramon]

A little self-advertising here, but I always use my review of Classics Optimus Prime as a template.

I try to cover the following in short, well written paragraphs:

P1: General description of the car\alternate mode, with accurate measurements of each dimension.

P2: Description of the plastics used, colour each plastic is moulded in, additional painted details etc

P3: Description of the sculpt. Is it too plain? Too detailed? I also try to describe as accurately as possible the small details that make up the sculpt

P4: Playability of the alt mode. This is of course shorter for deluxe cars, but can be expanded for beast modes, even describing points of articulation present.

--ROBOT mode comes in

P1: General description of the transformation [no more than 2-3 sentences], measurements of the mode, small comparison of the figure with other well-known figures.

P2: Description of new colours present. New plastic types that may be introduced and so on.

P3: Thorough description of details of the sculpt. I'm a bit anal about that, true

P4: Full documentation of the articulation of the figure. I want each and everyone who reads my review to know how poseable the figure is.

P5-x: Extra paragraphs to describe\review weapons, special features, combination types [if any], automorph and so on.

And at the end comes the rating. It's a set of rules I've applied to each and every of my reviews, whenever I write a new one, I always have my CL Prime review to consult.

Here's that I'm talking about.

[Quadpredacus]

Name: Special Edition Megatron
Function:Harbinger of Death
Sub-GroupMegatron is his own sub-group

"MEGATRON, an evil, destructive tyrant bent on total domination of the universe and all it's resources, led his DECEPTICONS on an endless war of conquest. For millions of years their battle has raged like a fire across the galaxy, and now they are here on Earth in a fight to the finish that will determine the fate of the planet and all it's people.

Well, certainly not along the lines of the classical tech specs for most Transformers, but it produces a menacing image, doesn't it? Anyway, I picked this guy up on one of my transformer splurges. He was one of the two special edition universe figures that I found that day, the other being Overkill. Incidentally, I found both of them at a Marshalls. Until then, I was unaware Marshalls carried GOOD toys, and both of these are CERTAINLY good toys. Not to mention I picked each one up for $10, which is $8 lower than they usually retail for.

Special edition Megs is actually a recolor of one of his previous classics incarnations. The figure he shares the mold with was the Megatron that was only available through the "Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Ultimate Battle" two pack. That Megatron was done up in colors which hinted that this mold was a homage to G2 Megatron. The special edition version of this toy however, released under the Universe 2/ Classics line, is done up in G1 colors, and it looks awesome. Now on to the review

Alternate Mode:

This mode is REALLY cool. Megatron, being a repaint of his g2 classics version, transforms into a tank. But not just any tank. He transforms into a totally decked out, semi-futuristic tank. This thing is awesome.

First off, what every tank needs, the large gun/cannon sticking out the front. This is the first good detail of the vehicle mode. The cannon is not smooth, like most tanks. It has a very futuristic look to it, and the first thing that comes to mind is a fusion cannon. Megs also has a small turret gun on the left side, which becomes a small pistol in his robot mode. There is amazing detail everywhere on this mode. A lot of paneling and circuitry showing on this tank. As I said earlier, this toy is done up in the G1 Megatron gray/off white. He also has a lot more red thrown in, but it looks very cool.

The entire upper portion of the tank (the turret) rotates a full 360 degrees, and the cannon itself lifts up and down. Megatron rolls very well in this mode, if you've transformed him correctly. Speaking of the transformation, his robot parts are hidden extremely well thanks to a surprisingly simple transformation. The only parts that show are the feet, but they are folded up in a way that they look to be just another part of the tank.

Transformation:

This is a surprisingly easy transformation for a difficulty rating of 3 out of 4. More finicky than difficult, but anyway, here goes. You start off by separating the back half of the tank (the half with the folded up feet) and folding it down. You do this by holding onto the front and pulling down on the back half. Pull until the entire lower torso comes down and snaps into place, then fold out the feet. Next, rotate the turret so that the cannon faces the back. Line up the two red tabs on either side of the turret with to similarly shaped indents. Then take and separate the two halve of the turret, pulling them down and snapping the tabs into the indents. After accomplishing this, rotate the arms 90 degrees so they are facing they way arms should be facing. Take the left forearm (the one that actually has a hand) and rotate it 180 degrees, until the hand faces up. Finally, rotate the head forward, so you can see the face, and separate the legs. And now you have Megatron!

Robot Mode:

The toy really shines in this mode. His face, save for the red eyes, is dead on for the G1 Megatron, right down to the blank, hateful expression. He has great detail in this mode. He even has individually sculpted fingers on his left hand!! The same colors from the tank mode carry over, with the addition of a darker gray, as well as more red and a little orange and yellow. Remember the little mini-turret he had in tank mode? Well, I'll be darned! He has it in his hand as a pistol! His tank cannon turns into an arm cannon in this mode, reminding one heavily of G1 Megs.

He has a lot of nice articulation in this mode, with a total of 21 joints, counting the one on his cannon and the one on the cannon's blast shield. He has basically as much articulation as a human being, but the fact that the front half of the tank is his chest causes him to be slightly top heavy for certain poses.

Megatron also has a pretty neat gimmick in this mode. Take the arm with the cannon on it, and tip the very front joint forward, until the cannon is resting length-wise in front of him. Then fold the blast shield on the cannon out, so the claw is sticking out. This is the only problem I have with the toy. The blast shield/claw is held in place only by two little bulges of plastic inside the cannon, so after flipping it back and forth 2 or 3 times, it comes off. Anyway, after folding the claw out, locate the translucent red button near his elbow. press that in, and the whole cannon/claw thing spins rapidly, which produces an awesome effect, and is one of few gimmicks I've ever seen on transformer toys that actually looks like it would be really effective in a fight.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 8 - Could have been rated a little lower, but a good, effective transformation, none the less
Durability 9 - Well made, heavy plastic, he'll be able to take a beating, but the claw falls off too easy to get a ten
Fun: 9 - It's there. especially for those real sentimental types, who love G1. the gimmick does help though
Price:10 - If you can get them at anywhere close to the price I bought them for, grab them. but unless you are a die hard fan of these guys, i wouldn't pay the $18 retail price
Overall: 9 - An awesome toy, and a great collector's item

[Denyer]

Looks good.

[Transformer Kamen]

Very nice.

Also, the pronoun "I" should be capitalized (because we're all self-centered, egotistical twats I supposed). The review was very clean grammar-wise besides that.

[Detective Barricade]

Name: ‘Constructicon’ Devastator (plus Overload, Mixmaster, Rampage, Scavenger, Scrapper, Long Haul, and Hightower)
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Constructicon combiner
Sub-Group: ROTF Legends class (Wal-Mart exclusive gift set)

Never before has a robot so powerful been seen anywhere in the galaxy. (Constructicon)Devastator is the equal of Earth’s most powerful storms - a ferocious destroyer of all in his path.

Strength: 10 Intelligence: 2 Speed: 2 Endurance: 10 Rank: 9 Courage: 10 Fireblast: 10 Skill: 3

When Devastator was announced and shown, some people were in an uproar. $100 for a near Fortress Maximus sized (I.E. nearly 2' tall) hunk of plastic whose components couldn’t convert into individual robots?! No thanks! However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel: TakaraTomy made seven Legends class Constructicons that could convert into individual robots as well as combine to form Devastator! The down side: you had to import the set from Japan, which with shipping included, might not have been worth the price. Then Hasbro announced that they were bringing the Legends Constructicons over into their market as a store exclusive gift set. Eventually, said store turned out to be Wal-Mart. Is Legends Devastator worth the wait? In a word, YES.

Vehicle modes
Devastator splits up into seven different construction vehicles. I'll quickly review each one.

Mixmaster is the muddy grey cement mixer with some silver on the mixing drum and lavender windows. The wheels are dark grey. There's a nice amount of details on him, including smokestacks, a ladder on the left, tiny roof lights, and even a tiny folded up pouring chute in the back.

Scavenger is the red and white excavator with grey tracks. It looks more complete in the back than Demolishor, but has a comparatively HUGE pair of wheels inside for the robot mode. There's a lot of detail here, such as ladders along the sides of the vehicle and a tiny door on the cabin, which definitely gives a sense of scale.

Rampage is the yellow bulldozer with dark grey tracks and light blue windows. He doesn't seem to be the same kind of bulldozer the Deluxe toy is, but then I'm no expert on bulldozers. The pistons for the blade are among a couple of details on him.

Long Haul is the green dump truck with dark grey wheels. This is definitely not the same dump truck that the Long Haul seen diving into the ocean to revive Megatron in the movie was, but seems quite accurate to the one who helped form Devastator. The grille and ladder running in front of it are very nice touches of detail.

Hightower is the yellow truss crane with a dark grey boom and a white cabin. The panel detail along the sides of him as well as tiny rivets make this look very real and tough.

Overload, the red articulated dump truck with dark grey wheels and black cabin, is kind of the black sheep of the group. The Supreme Devastator toy completely omits him. Poor guy. The grille is a nice detail, and so is the sides of the dump bed.

Scrapper is the pay-loader, and in virtually the same colors as Rampage. There's some window detail behind the liberal slathering of light blue, and a pair of ladders behind the rear wheels.

Robot modes
Unlike the overpriced waste of plasticSupreme version, this Devastator's components do have individual robot modes. This section will cover them.

Mixmaster's robot mode is the weakest of the set. His shoulders are really wide, and Devastator's head rests behind his butt. I wish I was kidding. There's a bit of detail here as well, especially inside of his arms. Shoulders and hips are all on ball joints.

Scavenger greatly resembles Demolishor in this mode. The tracks end up on his back instead of forming the wheels, and the cabin is on the left instead of the right, but the resemblance is very much there! The arms have articulation, but like Demolishor he can't make much use of it due to resting on his claws to stay upright. Despite that, this is my second favorite of the set...

Rampage's robot mode is like the Deluxe toy's 'Jackhammer mode' in that he rests on a single leg, if you want to call it that. The bottom half of the tracks is stuck to this while the top half forms his arms and 'tread-whips'. The leg and head are intricately detailed, but only the shoulders can move. Even so, I really do like the little guy.

Long Haul does at least try to look a bit like the Voyager toy. He's got a little fake dump bed sticking up behind his head, and his shoulders carry a similar detail to his wheels... But, the design is rather awkward with the somewhat wide shoulders that only swing out to the sides. At least his hips are ball-jointed.

Hightower has a very unique robot mode. He's got a claw at the end of his tail, and the tracks spread out from the body. He's also got a pair of funny little arms attached to the cage his head is behind. Sadly, he's only got movement in his tail and that's it. However, I still like the look of him.

Overload has big arms and stubby legs. He's also almost constantly looking down... Poor guy. Like Boncrusher, he's got a tail on his back as well. He's got about as much articulation as the average Legends figure does, except the legs only do the splits. I really feel sorry for this one, but he's not my favorite.

Scrapper, however, is. He is tall and lanky, yet oozes with danger! He's got the average articulation of a Legends figure, except he includes ankles! This lets him take a good few stable poses, as well as serve a purpose for transformation. It's really a shame that Hasbro has no plans to do a Deluxe or Voyager class version of Scrapper, as this design could have worked well in a larger toy. Oh well.

Devastator mode
Finally, we get to Devastator himself! He comes packaged in this mode, albeit slightly mistransformed. He looks more accurate to the CG model in general than the Supreme version. The silver wash over the face really helps to bring out the details on it, and the bright green for his eyes and inside of his mouth really gives them a glowing effect that's both cool and a little creepy. A little red on the face over the silver could have made it look a little more accurate, but it's not a huge loss. As far as articulation is concerned, he's got maybe 14 points total, but few of these are actually useful. The one thing that may really hit a nerve with some people is that Devastator is only about the size of a tall Scout or a small Deluxe, making him completely out of scale with any other figure in the line. Overall though, I think this is a nice way to have a Devastator from Revenge of the Fallen while also having it do everything a combiner/gestalt should do.

Marks out of 10 for the following:

Transformation: 4/10 The components are all super easy, but take a little time to combine.

Durability: 9/10 These little guys are quite solid, including their connections to each other when combined. It may even be a bit of a struggle to separate Devastator back into his components!

Fun: 8/10 They’re fun to play around with as a set, but don’t do much individually.

Price: 9/10 At Wal-Mart for about $32, less than a third the Supreme Devastator’s price, that is pretty good for seven Legends figures these days.

Overall: 8/10 If you have the Takara version already, you’re not missing much. Otherwise, this is a nice little set, and miles better than the Supreme.

[Quadpredacus]

ok, thanks. how do i add the pics? i don't have a site to upload them from, as i don't store them online. i have them all ready and stored on my computer

[Quadpredacus]

here they are

[Denyer]

Could we get actual photos of the bot/alt modes rather than stock ones?

I think most people, like myself, prefer to see what figures actually look like, and that's the benefit of looking for reviews before buying.

[Quadpredacus]

the one of the attack mode is the only one small enough to go up. i took others, but no matter what settings i change, they still exceed it by about 40 kb max, i believe

[Denyer]

http://imageshack.us/ and http://imagevenue.com/ are both good free image hosts.

Generally speaking, though, an 800x600 or 640x480 image should easily fit within the filesize allowed for attachments. That one of the attack mode you've got is 3280x2456 and looks like it's come straight from a camera. If you need software to resize or manage images, I use and recommend XnView -- which is free, and has lots of other useful tools and filters. It's also very handy for batch scanning.